Immortal
by Xelena
Summary: This is an Alternate Reality fic, starting from the first face-to-face battle with Halcyform from vol 2 of Slayers Next. I thought it'd be interesting to write an alternative ending to the second season, starting there.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is an AR, or alternate reality. I was watching Slayers Next vol. 2, with the battle against Halcyform, and decided that an alternate outcome was in order. What if, somehow, Lina's Van Rehl hadn't worked? What if she had been captured or somehow turned during the second episode? How would everything between her, Gaav, and Phibrizzo have changed?  
Immortal  
Chapter 1: Death?  
"Halcyform, I accept the honor of being your victim." Lina said, running in front of him.   
"Really? So you've finally come to your senses." Halcyform smirked, preparing a fireball.   
'Please let this work,' Lina prayed silently. Closing her eyes, she started chanting under her breath.   
Unfortunately for her, because her eyes were closed, she failed to notice Saygram raising his hand towards her. Halcyform, however, did notice his movements, and looked questioningly at him. "This does not concern you, human. She is casting a spell, can't you tell?"   
Halcyform looked again, and saw that she was unusually quiet. Pausing, he held the fireball, waiting to see what would happen.  
Lina suddenly opened her eyes. "Van Rehl… what the hell?" She stopped, seeing a bright red flash. Looking around her, her stomach plummeted. She was surrounded by a pentagram, and knew that since it was a symbol of black magic and she was facing a Mazoku, that it could mean anything but good news.   
Gourry wasn't sure what was going on when Zelgadis started swearing, but he was pretty sure that the red five-pointed star surrounding Lina wasn't her own doing.  
As soon as the red light faded, Amelia rushed to Lina, wondering what was wrong. Before she reached her though, Lina stopped her by casting a Gaav Flare, which, for some reason, Saygram seamed to find very humorous. Or, rather, she tried to cast one. All that happened, though, was a puff of smoke coming out of her hand, and a very loud "Aw hell!" This event, strangely enough, caused the aforementioned Mazoku to laugh outright  
"Lina-san, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?"   
"That Mazoku just sealed my magic." Lina said, glaring daggers at the offending Mazoku.  
"He what?! Lina-san, what are you going to do?" Amelia cried.  
"She's not going to do anything, except revive my love."  
Lina turned towards Halcyform, intending to give him a piece of her mind, well, that was at least until she saw the rather vicious looking fireball sitting in the palm of his right hand. "Oh shit."  
Halcyform smiled, and with a quick lob, hurled the ball towards Lina. And in slow motion, it seemed like déjà vu, as Lina pushed Amelia out of the way, and was thrown through the window and out into the garden, bleeding from the wounds all over her body and unable to move due to the burns inflicted upon her person.   
"Lina!" Gourry and Zelgadis shouted simultaneously, with an odd echo from Amelia's stricken "Lina-san!" All three rushed through the shattered window, and towards their fallen comrade. But before they could reach her, they were blown backwards by Halcyform.   
"She volunteered. Now, I shall take her up on her offer. After all, with power like that, she could revive Rubia and still survive."   
He, too, however, was stopped, this time by Saygram. "She shall come with me. My master has need for her."   
"What?" Halcyform was outraged.  
Zelgadis, however, knew what was going on. "Don't you see, Halcyform? He never cared about you and your love. He just wanted to use you. Quite to the contrary, he cared about finding someone like Lina. He's a Mazoku, who wouldn't want to recruit someone with her power?"   
Saygram turned towards Zel. "I see the companions she travels with are intelligent. I might reward you somehow, unfortunately I have someone to bring to my lord." Saygram said, bending to pick up Lina's semi-conscious form.   
"Zelgadis?" Lina asked, though she knew by the aura that it wasn't him.   
"Hahaha. No, my dear, it is not your friend. Quite far from it."  
Lina shivered, knowing who the voice belonged to, and slipped into the blessed darkness as Saygram teleported them away.   
  
  
  
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed my story. Please R&R, I'd appreciate it! And if you want to flame, well, just don't both clicked for a review. 


	2. Changes

A/N: Second installment- enjoy. No I don't own Slayers. Oh, and by the way, if I seem sadistic at points in this story, it might be because  
e I am. One more thing, I noticed that I seem to be writing it as though Gaav doesn't have a human soul (I think that's what it was) and it's because in this, Gaav's not going against Shabby.  
Disclaimer: Eh-heh heh- I just realized I forgot a disclaimer for the 1st chapter. I don't own Slayers, as much as I wish to the contrary.   
Immortal  
Chapter 2: Changes  
Lina awoke to utter darkness surrounding her, and immediately cussed, remembering her current predicament. Sitting up, she froze as the approaching footsteps echoed down to her cell, ahead of its owner. Staring at her hands in contemplation, she wondered how the others were doing. When she had been taken, they were about to start fighting Halcyform. Hearing the door open, she reached for her dagger and felt only air. She cursed, already knowing that her armor was gone from the lighter weight upon her person. Raising her eyes, she met those of a very tall, flame-haired man. Recognizing the slit pupils for those of a Mazoku, she started casting a Gaav Flare, which caused the man in front of her to laugh.   
  
"Well, Miss Inverse, you seem to be forgetting two things. First off, in case you don't remember, my servant sealed your magic, and secondly, that spell won't work on me. OR don't you know who I am?"  
  
"I know now, but that just makes me angrier." She fairly snarled, launching herself at the Chaos Dragon King.  
  
Gaav just laughed again, and catching her by the wrists while she was in midair launch at him, held her several feet above the ground. He slowly put her down on her feet again and let go of her wrists. Before she could do anything though, he grabbed her waist and tossed her over his shoulder. Leaving the cell, he entered the hall and walked back the way he had come. Lina remained silent until she sensed more Mazoku ahead.   
  
"Let me go, you imbecile. This isn't fair, and you need to learn how to treat a lady," she yelled, pounding her fists on his back. She felt his shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.   
  
"Inverse, you're not a lady. You're a sorceress whose power can help me rise over my siblings in my lord Shabrinigdu's favor. And whom are you calling an imbecile? You're the one who couldn't sense me when I walked in the door."  
  
"That's different!" Lina protested, enraged that he was treating her with such disrespect. "And I am too a lady! I'm female, in case you didn't notice.  
  
Gaav pulled her off his shoulder, held her in front of him, and glared at her. "Actually, Lina, it's not different, and I suggest you shut up before I decide to do it myself."  
  
She blanched at that statement. He was a Mazoku Lord after all.   
  
Gaav smirked at the suddenly silent Lina and started grinning when he saw how pale she had gotten. "Well, at least you recognize how much stronger I am than you. That's a plus." Turning forward once again, he tucked her under his arm and continued walking.   
  
Lina bit her tongue in order to keep from lashing out at him with some cynical remark.   
  
Suddenly, Gaav dropped her, unceremoniously, on the stone floor. Probing the room with her senses, she almost screamed at the amount of Mazoku aura that surrounded her. Looking ahead of her, she realized that Gaav had dropped her in front of his throne, upon which he was lounging.   
  
She blushed when she realized that he was looking directly at her, and he laughed yet again. "Inverse, I know that Mother can't revoke your status as her Chosen, the dots on your forehead underneath your headband prove it, so I know you'll retain your Chaos magic no matter what happens."  
  
The Chaos Dragon's comment made Lina realize that her magical rune-inscribed headband was gone.  
  
"So here's the deal. You don't necessarily have to become a Mazoku, so long as you are willing to work for me. In other words, if you agree to let me link your life force and soul to mine, and thus grant you immortality so long as I live, then I'll let you stay as you are. You're already going to live well past your friends as one of the consequences of using Chaos magic starting at such a young age. However, if you refuse, I'll kill you now, while you're bereft of your powers. "  
  
"And what about my friends? They'll try to stop you no matter what happens to me."  
  
"As if they could! My servant Saygram could take care of them very easily."   
  
"What about Xelloss?" Lina felt proud that she had remembered the weird priest because she thought there was something he was hiding about himself and his power.  
  
The grin on his face disappeared and before she realized what was happening, Gaav was lifting her into the air by her throat.  
  
"What did you say? Xelloss is around?"  
  
Lina tried to say yes, but the grip was too strong.  
  
Gaav must have realized that his grip was preventing her from speaking. So he moved his grip from her throat to her arms.   
  
Lina gulped in air before nodding her head. "Yes. He tricked us into getting a Claire Bible manuscript that he then stole and burned. And there's something funny about him."  
It dawned on Gaav that Lina didn't know and he laughed. "You don't know? Xelloss is my sister, the Juu-ou's, General and Priest, on loan to the Hellmaster for the time being."   
  
Comprehension worked its way across her face as she realized that the bad feeling from him was his aura. "Oh my god. Amelia, I have to warn her." She tried to turn away when she realized that he was still holding her arms. Swearing, she yanked her arms, trying to break free. But Gaav's grip was really tight, and Lina stopped when she heard her bones start to crack. She sighed in defeat, knowing that the only way she was going to be able to warn them was if she changed sides. Hanging her head, she took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll join you. But you have to let me warn my friends about Xelloss."   
  
"Ha, I knew you'd see it my way. This will take but a moment." He grinned ear to ear, unsheathing his sword from his back.   
  
Lina stared down, not wanting to see the blade that matched that long hiss of metal she had just heard. She only said a silent sorry to the Mother before feeling the blade impale her. "Luna, I'm so sorry." She whispered before passing out, her limp body falling forward to rest against Gaav's chest.   
  
He heard her say Luna, and made the connection with Luna Inverse, who was known to be the Knight of Ceipheid. Holding her upright by her shoulder, he pulled the sword from her body and sheathed the now bloody blade before replacing the lost blood with his "blood." He then linked her soul and lifeforce to his own before teleporting her to his room.   
  
  
Lina woke in a room done in reds, oranges, and black, sitting up in a large bed. Looking at her body, she almost screamed when the aura that surrounded her, instead of being the one she had known all her life, was different. Instead of the red she knew flared around her when she got mad, her aura was a combination of an eerie crimson, orange, and gold. Looking to her left, she saw Gaav staring at her from a chair.   
  
"So you're awake. Well, let's go so I can be rid of my end of this deal. I'd give you your new outfit, but you weren't awake, you didn't get to see it. We'll do that as soon as we come back. Besides, you wouldn't want to give away the surprise to your friends too soon."  
  
Lina bit off a bitter laugh. "Zel will notice the change in my aura right off the bat"  
  
"Not if you withhold it like Xelloss normally does."  
  
"And how do I do that?" Lina said, sliding out of bed. "And can I have my weapons, and various pieces of armor and clothing that have been taken so I don't have to lie."  
  
Gaav laughed and threw them to her, then hid her aura with his power.  
  
As she caught them, she realized that he had stored them in his subspace. Fastening her cloak, she buckled her dagger back on, and tied her headband back in place before swiveling on her heel towards Gaav.   
  
"You can teleport now, Inverse. Just focus on Atlas City."   
  
"Fine." Lina did just that and when she opened her eyes, she was looking at the remains of a mansion. "Wow, they beat him by themselves."   
  
"Not really." Gaav commented from behind her.  
  
Lina jumped in the air. "Don't do that!" she snapped at him. "And what do you mean 'not really.'"   
  
"Exactly that. I know Xelloss' aura and it's smothered here. Try and focus on Xelloss, you'll recognize his aura."  
  
Lina once again followed his command, and nearly puked at the overwhelming scent that permeated the whole area. "Can I find my friends the same way?"   
  
Gaav just looked at her with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"I guess that's a yes." Focusing on the princess, she turned green as the aura of the pacifist sugar-high royal flooded her senses. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she had teleported to the woods outside. Again, she jumped as Gaav spoke into her ear.   
  
"I suggest you fly in."  
  
"Fine. Just, don't do that anymore, please." She was going to lose her mind if he keep sneaking up on her.  
  
"Lina, you crack me up. But I'll try not to for your sake. I already have to deal with my crazy sibling, Dolphin. I don't need a crazy subordinate too."  
  
Lina rolled her eyes while casting Raywing, and flew into the woods, Gaav teleporting after she disappeared between the trees in order to watch her.  
Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry had been stunned when Lina was kidnapped, especially since it was Saygram who took her. However, they were even more surprised when Halcyform tried to kill them. Gourry, in a moment of immense intelligence, had saved them, and they had fled through the collapsing mansion after Xelloss killed the lovesick sorcerer.   
  
Zel's ears twitched at the sound of rushing wind, and his head snapped up when he sensed a powerful aura. Motioning to the others, he drew his sword out slowly and then preceded to drop it in shock when Lina came hurtling into the clearing.  
  
Lina came to a rest by the fire circle, and breathing deeply, searched the eyes of her comrades.   
  
"Lina-san?" Amelia squeaked out, staring at her mentor and best friend hard.  
  
"Lina, how did you escape?" Gourry demanded, wondering how she had managed to beat the lord Saygram had mentioned.  
  
"I'm not really sure how I managed to escape." She edged, evading the question to the best of her ability. "But listen to me. Xelloss is a bad guy, the General and Priest of the Juu-ou. He's on loan to the Hellmaster. You've got to stay away from him."  
  
Zelgadis picked up his sword and started towards Lina. "How do you know this?" Suspicion laced his every word.  
  
"I have my sources," Lina stated calmly, starting to back away.  
  
"Zelgadis-san, what do you think you're doing?" Amelia asked, incredulous over his sword, which was glowing red with an Astral Vine, and over his stalker-like stance.  
  
"I think she's hiding something." Zelgadis answered before striking at Lina's retreating figure.   
  
Lina yelled as the sword slashed through her abdomen, causing the blackness that was now her blood to ooze through it. Closing her eyes against the pain, she swore as Gaav's aura flared in her mind's eye. Hearing the clang of metal on metal, she looked up to see Gaav's trenchcoat-covered figure looming above her as he protected her.   
  
Before Lina could say anything, however, Gaav teleported behind her and jumped out of the way, Lina wrapped in his arms.   
  
"Lina, you should know that Mazoku normally heal themselves." Gaav whispered in her ear as he hovered in the air, teleporting out of the way of Zel's blasts.  
  
"So what? I wasn't 'born' Mazoku. I don't know how to heal myself." Lina bit back.  
  
"Fine, fine. I'll do it myself. I'm giving you a lesson in my spells after this though." Gaav spoke as he healed her wound. Teleporting back to the ground, he pushed Lina behind his body, and spoke sarcastically to Zelgadis. "I really would appreciate it if you didn't kill my newest subordinate."  
  
"Subordinate?" Zel repeated, narrowing his eyes. "What does he mean, Lina?"  
  
"This." Lina stepped out from behind Gaav and raised her aura, the red and orange wrapping around her lithe form, gold threaded throughout the flares.   
  
"Lina-san, you didn't!" Amelia scolded.  
  
"I'm sorry, Amelia-chan. I had no choice."  
  
"Lina-san! You always have a choice."  
  
Gaav interrupted the girl's verbal spat. "Actually, princess, she didn't have a choice. I kinda said, 'do or die.'"  
  
"But…." Amelia looked to Zelgadis for help.   
  
Gaav smirked. "And I don't think Ms. Inverse wanted to die just yet."  
  
Lina rolled her eyes. Of course she didn't want to die. She was 16!  
  
Zel spoke up then. "Well, regardless, you're now our enemy."   
  
Lina looked at him with sad eyes, eyes that had changed to cat-like eyes after she had raised her aura. "I'm sorry you guys. But Gaav's right- I didn't want to die. I'm only 16 years old." She looked straight into Zel's eyes as she spoke again. "Zel, I'm sorry we're enemies again. I don't want to be but nothing can really be done about it now. Just, please, stay away from Xelloss. I don't want you hurt." She felt a single tear slip down her cheek as Gaav tapped her shoulder. She nodded and the two teleported away. 


End file.
